The Road To Forever
by SMILEzxc
Summary: During their summer break after their first year of college at New Rome, Percy and Annabeth decide to return home to Camp Half-Blood. What Annabeth doesn't know is that Percy has many surprises up his sleeve planned just for her, and he's determined to make this summer their best one yet, even it doesn't start all that well.
1. I Have Dinner With Her Dad

PERCY (I) – I Have Dinner With Her Dad

You know how guys who are in relationships say meeting their girlfriend's parents is one of the scariest things they will do in their life?

Despite my average demigod life and the fact that I have lived through two wars, I can vouch for that.

I mean, Athena already scares the pants off me, and every time I see her I get hit with her fiercest glare, as if she wanted to personally pry me away from her daughter if I didn't do it myself. But I think she kinda gave up on me leaving Annabeth after all we've been through.

I hope.

But Annabeth's mortal dad is a different story. He does scare me, but not in the same way Athena does. When I first met him, back when I tried to save Annabeth when she was captured by Atlas (that huge jerk), Professor Chase had been really nice to me. He didn't have anything against me, but now that I have become his only daughter's boyfriend, well, it's understandable if he starts to be stricter towards me.

And this went through my head calmly even as he glared at me across the table when I took Annabeth's hand. I flushed and immediately let go. So much for calm.

Annabeth turned to me and frowned slightly, her eyebrows knitted together. She reached over and took my hand. 'What's wrong?'

I put her hand on my thigh, then turned to face her and blushed again. Man, she looked really beautiful tonight. Her blond curly hair was up in a bun, with some locks falling near her neck. She wore a checker white top and a black skirt, simple yet classy, as anything she wears. Around her neck was this silver necklace with a little blue gem. I didn't know what it was called, but I found it when I was down at my father's palace at the bottom of the sea, and I had one of the Hephaestus kids make it into a necklace, which I gave her on Valentine's Day. Sweet, huh? I think I'm getting better at this boyfriend thing, after 3 years of dating.

Unfortunately this 'good boyfriend' behaviour also meant that I had to agree when she suggested having dinner with her family before we went back to Camp Half-Blood. Which was fine by me, I mean, what better way to start our summer break than a dinner with my girlfriend's family?

 _Any other way_ , the back of my brain responded. _Shut up_ , I replied.

So here we were, in fancy restaurant somewhere in San Francisco, I was having dinner with my girlfriend and her family. Minus her brothers, because apparently they had school activity and her stepmom didn't want them to cause trouble in an expensive place like this.

I mouthed 'nervous' to Annabeth, and she responded by giggling, before clamping her other hand over her mouth. Oh yeah, did I mention she thinks it's funny that I'm afraid of her dad?

But I couldn't help the small laugh that escaped me. I really couldn't help it. Her smile was so beautiful and her laughter was contagious and her happiness was infectious and-

'Achem!' Professor Chase coughed loudly and we both stopped what we were doing. I sat up straighter in my seat.

'So Annabeth dear, how was your first semester at New Rome? And what about you, Percy?' Annabeth's stepmom, Helen, asked from across the table, where she sat in front of Annabeth. I felt bad, but I didn't exactly pay attention to her presence, especially not when Professor Chase was sitting right across me. But for the first time since dinner started I realised how awkward the silence was after we had placed our orders.

But thank the gods she was there. Annabeth's eyes lit up and she started talking about how cool her courses have been, with so many opportunities she could take up and how many new ideas she has since gotten from studying different forms of architecture.

I smiled and listened to her talk. Okay, I was listening, but I wasn't comprehending. The only thing I knew was that I loved it when she talks about what she loved. She would have so much enthusiasm and excitement and she could talk for hours and I wouldn't get bored.

Somehow I noticed Professor Chase forgot about my existence, because he and Helen payed full attention to Annabeth, letting me off the hook and for the first time this evening, I breathed a sigh I didn't know I was holding.

Our food finally came and I was grateful for the distraction, and for my stomach's relief. The last time I ate was hours ago and I didn't know how long more I could hold out. Annabeth always laughs at me for being a pig, but I'm a growing boy, and she knows it, so she just cooks me more food.

'Percy,' Professor Chase asked just as I swallowed the first bite of my steak. 'Annabeth says you work for your father right now?'

'Um yes sir. I, uh, serve as an advisor to my father. I help him run errands, some of them like checking up on old sea monsters and other tasks resemble that of oceanographers, like exploring coral reefs and such.' I took a sip of my cider when I was done. The description I gave of my 'job' was pretty boiled down. What he didn't know was that I would probably work for my dad as a real job once I graduated. It wasn't bad really, considering the income my dad promised (being an immortal meant that he didn't really understand the concept of mortal money). I knew how much Annabeth worried about finances. But even now, working 'part-time' for my dad already got us enough dough for what we needed and wanted.

Annabeth watched as her dad nodded absentmindedly. She looked slightly worried, and I knew what she was thinking. There was a lot more that we haven't told him yet, some of which he might not be that agreeable with.

Ω

We were eating when a flash of movement outside the window of the restaurant caught my eye.

Monster.

We weren't on the ground floor, which meant this guy flew. Hurray for me.

I'd better go check it out. I stood up from my seat and tried to bow politely. 'Excuse me, I'm going to the washroom.' Annabeth looked at me worriedly, as if she knew I was lying. She probably did. But I smiled and kissed her hand, muttering 'I'll be right back' as I left my seat.

Once I thought I was out of their sight, I dashed down the stairs, almost colliding with a waitress. She giggled and winked at me as I apologized and ran off. What the Hades was that about?

I stepped out into the night and breathed in the cold San Francisco air. I dashed off to the alleyway on the right, where I thought I saw the movement. Quietly, I took out Riptide and removed the cap. _Shink!_ Riptide grew into a well-balanced sword in my hand. I took comfort in it.

'Where are you?' I said under my breath.

I raised my head when I heard a screech above me. The screeching got closer and closer, until the monsters landed on the ground in front of me. There were three of them.

Up close, they looked horrible and disgusting. They looked like little green snakes, but they had an expandable collar of white spikes around their necks. Was that how they flew? I wasn't sure, but somehow I had the feeling I've fought these before, and they looked grossly familiar.

They took off into the air and circled me, as if deciding who would get the honour of attacking me first. The first one took a dive and headed straight towards me. I raised Riptide and got ready to slice it.

Then it spewed fire in my face.

I barely had time to curse before ducking out of the way and rolling on the floor. When I got up the front of my shirt was seared and smoking.

'Dammit!' I muttered. 'This was one of my best shirts!' I yelled at them, but I didn't think they'd care. Now I knew why they looked familiar, I _have_ fought them before. They were basilisks, those things that grew out of Polybotes' hair. Just his name made me shudder, but I shook it off and lunged at the one flying the lowest. It squawked in my face before I slashed it with Riptide, my bronze blade being the last thing it would see. The other two screeched and flew to come get me. I figured since I killed their buddy, they would become twice as mad.

And I was right! Now they're spitting out their fire at a rapid speed.

'Percy?' Annabeth's worried voice came from behind the building. No way, I had to get them away from her.

'Get back in the restaurant!' I yelled as I slashed the air in front of me, trying to keep the basilisks' attention to me. I heard her gasp behind me, but to my surprise, she listened to me and ran back where she came from, hopefully, back to the restaurant.

I breathed a sigh of relief and dodged another blast of fire. They were really keeping up the attacks now. I kept dodging, rolling, but I just couldn't get a clean shot at either of them.

Suddenly, one of them stopped attacking and shifted its focus to something, or someone behind me.

It flew straight towards Annabeth and spat its fire at her. Thank the gods, she dodged it cleanly and got off harmless. I thought I told her to stay inside!

Then I noticed the sides of the building beside us were attached with water pipes. In the back of my head, I berated myself for not noticing them earlier. I yelled defiantly, and the pipes burst, all the water converging to blast both basilisks out of flight. I quickly slashed one of them down while it was still surprised by the water and it disintegrated with a sizzling sound.

I turned around to see Annabeth closing in on the grounded basilisk with her dagger. I didn't like that, she would have to be in close range to attack it.

Out of nowhere, Professor Chase called out to her. 'Annabeth! What is going on?' Annabeth turned towards her dad, incredulous at his obliviousness at the situation. I hate to say it, but Professor Chase has got really bad timing, because the basilisk shook off its shock and started flying, diving straight towards Annabeth, whose attention wasn't focused on it anymore.

I couldn't stand by and watch, so I lunged at Annabeth to push her out of the way.

Ω

When I brushed past as it flew by us, I felt a searing pain on my back as its tail hit me, knocking the wind out of me. We hit the ground, but the only thing I felt was the immense pain crippling me, and I couldn't get up. I felt my breathing become laboured, my ears started ringing and my vision went blurry. I could hear Annabeth screaming. The remaining basilisk was screeching and it got louder, but I heard the _shink_ sound, which hopefully meant that she got it killed.

Annabeth started crying as she climbed out from under me and got her bag. She quickly pulled out a water bottle and flipped me over carefully. I was half aware of what was going on, because the only thing I could focus on was her crying. I couldn't really breathe, neither could I really see.

I felt the cold water touching my bare back, which didn't make sense because I was still wearing my shirt wasn't I?

'It looks bad. There's some ambrosia in the car, we'll go get it sweetie.' I heard someone talk, but Annabeth didn't respond.

I vaguely saw two figures running off.

'Percy, Percy, Percy.' She mumbled with a shaky voice. I wanted to tell her I was okay, but I couldn't open my mouth and my voice wouldn't work. I was feeling better though. The water was washing off the pain and it became less intense and more bearable, till I could breathe and see normally again.

'Percy?' Annabeth looked down at me with a worried look as the tears collected in her eyes. I was aware now: she was cradling my head in her lap while I laid on the floor. My bare back was cold from lying on the cement floor, but this position prevented my wound from touching the floor. She poured some more water down my back and I breathed a sigh. I smiled at her, but it probably looked more like a grimace.

'The touch of a basilisk is poisonous. Why did you have to go be such a Seaweed Brain to save me?' She cried softly. I took her hand and kissed it again. I didn't know what to say to her. That I couldn't let anything hurt her? No, I've told her that before and that made her both mad and upset. 'So you think it is okay for you to get hurt?' She had yelled at me in response.

'You know how much I hate it when you do this. I've watched you almost die too many times, and so many of those times it's because of me.' She whispered.

I tried to get up. Despite the burning feeling at my back and her protests, I managed to sit up. I took her head in my hands and kissed her lightly. 'You're okay and that's all that matters.' Her eyes were still bright with tears, and she frowned slightly again. Did I mention she looked really cute when she did that? 'And I'm okay too, so everything's alright,' I quickly added. I pulled her closer and kissed her again, deeply this time, enough to draw a sigh from her and for her to relax into my arms.

We only pulled back when we heard urgent footsteps coming towards us. Professor Chase and Helen came up in front of us. Helen was holding a clear Ziploc of lemon squares. Ambrosia? I guessed so.

Annabeth gratefully took the bag from her stepmom and carefully fed me a piece. Now that the pain had somewhat subsided, I realised I felt really drained and tired. She put the piece in my mouth and touched the side of my face while I chewed on it slowly. It tasted like that birthday cake she baked me so many years ago. The memory filled me with warmth and I must have smiled lightly because Annabeth mirrored me. 'What?'

I just shook my head. Gripping the sides of the building, I clamoured to stand up. Annabeth instinctively reached out to hold me steady. However my body dealt with that poison must have taken a lot of my strength.

'Oh dear,' Helen said. 'Do you want to come back to our place to rest?'

'No, that's alright, Mom,' Annabeth replied quietly. 'I'll bring him back home and see if we can drop by to get some medicine from the healer's'. She looked at her father and he nodded slightly.

'Um, Mr and Mrs Chase,' I spoke up with a surprisingly shaky voice. 'I'm sorry for what happened tonight, and that it ruined our evening.'

Professor Chase looked at me curiously. 'That's not your fault, Percy. And we would love to have dinner with you another time.' He said each word carefully, like he was pondering over what else to say to me. He hesitated, then turned to Annabeth. 'I'll go ahead and settle the bill. You two should get back as soon as possible. Drive safely, and Annabeth, I'll call you another time.'

'Okay, Dad. Bye, Mom' Annabeth said quietly. I watched as Helen and Professor Chase walked back to the restaurant together. Annabeth had both arms around my torso and she nudged me in the direction of the car. I followed her. My injury didn't hurt that badly, I thought, except for when I moved. Okay, it really hurt. That upper part of my bare back, I could guess, was probably some odd colour with some scratch marks on it. Gross.

As we got to the car (my car, really), Annabeth steered me towards shotgun, but usually I'm the one driving. As if she could read my mind, she replied 'There's no way you're driving in that condition.' She quickly got some bandages from the boot of the car, which she had filled with emergency supplies. Don't ask me what else was in there. She wrapped the upper part of my chest with bandages to cover my injury, literally stripping my upper half in the process. That was when I saw the back half of my shirt had disintegrated from the poison.


	2. I Give Her Her Surprise

**Hello there! I managed to get the next chapter up pretty early, though I can't promise that for the next few chapters, sorry! Please review to let me know what you think, thank you very much!**

* * *

PERCY II: I Give Her Her Surprise

It was a silent journey back home to our apartment in New Rome.

I kind of fell asleep. By the time I woke up, Annabeth was parking the car cleanly into the lot (yes she's great at parallel parking), and I figured we must have already stopped by the medicine. I could tell because there was this long vial sticking out of Annabeth's little bag.

She stopped the car and leaned over to me. She stroked the side of my face and smiled lightly. I leaned in towards her touch, into her smooth palm. Then she took her bag and got out of the car. I tried to follow her but my legs felt like jelly, and I managed to stumble out of the car when she caught me. Resuming our previous position, we got up to our apartment.

Let me explain. After we both came to New Rome to study college, I used some of the money I earned from working for my dad to get us this apartment. It was really subsidized though, for students in New Rome. Annabeth was really glad we got our own place, since we've already decided on living together while in college.

Her dad? Not very pleased with the arrangement. But we both knew we needed each other's comfort to get through our worst nightmares when they were unbearable. So Annabeth had shot down any other comments from her dad about living together.

And what can I say? The last few months we spent together were amazing. We went to school, we came home, we bought food for meals, we cooked, we played and we did housework. For the first time, we settled into a very regular and very human routine, a rare chance in our demigod lives. Plus, New Rome was a protected sanctuary, which meant that I could keep Annabeth safe with me. That was the most important thing to me, really.

Annabeth was quiet the entire time. She opened the door and helped me to the couch, before going to the kitchen and returning with a glass of water. I took it gratefully and wrapped one arm around her waist, pulling her down to the couch to sit with me. She leaned in and pressed her lips to my forehead. 'You should really go shower and go to rest,' she murmured. I pouted at her, trying to ease her tension. She laughed lightly, making my ears tingle and my heart warm. 'Okay,' I told her. 'I'll go shower now."

'Good boy,' she whispered. As she leaned away, I got another idea and I pulled her down again. She yelped softly when she fell onto my chest and she looked up at me, playfully annoyed. 'How about you shower with me?' I suggested quietly into her ear.

Her face reddened slightly but she had a sly smile. She put her lips near my ear. For a second I thought she would say yes.

'Not a chance, Seaweed Brain.' She got up from me and walked away, winking and hips swaying. I resisted the urge to smack her butt.

So much for that.

Ω

'Ow, ow, OW!'

'Hold still,' Annabeth mumbled as she dribbled the medicine onto my wound. Man, it was really stinging now, but the feeling that came after that was surprisingly heavenly. It was like there was snow on my back and cooling my body down. After a while, I stopped with the 'ow's and I sighed contently. I heard her screw the cap back on and she leaned forward to kiss me on my cheek. Then she took some clean bandages and wrapped me up again.

'That should help. Are you feeling okay?' She put her hand through my hair. I knew she liked to do that so I smiled and leaned closer to kiss her before she nudged me away gently. 'I haven't showered yet. Later.' She went to get her clothes and closed the bathroom door behind her.

I jumped up from the bed. Which I should not have done because I fell to floor when my legs became jelly and I landed with a loud thump.

Ow.

I heard the water stop running and Annabeth called out 'Sweetie are you alright?'

'Just fine!' I yelled back, quickly getting up on my feet. I ran out to the study room and opened the second drawer on the left. I took out this overly stuffed box and put it on the table.

You might be curious what was going on, so I'll tell you. The truth was, I planned a really special present for Annabeth this year. Instead of taking a plane back to New York like she thought, I wanted to give her a surprise: I planned out the whole trip from San Francisco to New York by car. It might sound boring, but I made sure to cover landmarks that she had showed interest in, so that she could see those places first hand. It was pain-staking effort to plan out this route, but I knew it would be worth it when I told her.

I guess it's a lot more special to Annabeth and me. We knew from young we weren't going to live very long, probably killed off by some monster later on in life, considering how both wars hadn't succeeded in doing that. Now that she's mine, I have to make the most out of our lives, because I planned for her to be happy with me. Nothing was going to get in my way.

I took a deep breath and removed the cover of the box. It was filled with maps I had collected and a notebook where I wrote details of our trip like the places to cover and all that. I hope she'd be proud I took care of even the small details for this trip. For her, really. A road trip across the country with just me and her.

I had to make sure it was a surprise though. I did want to tell her tonight after the dinner, but I did not expect the consequence of being attacked by those basilisks. I could feel my body drained of energy, but seeing the smile on her face would be more than enough.

The bathroom door opened just as I hobbled back into the room. All the mist was coming out of the door from where Annabeth stood. Her hair was messily kept into a bun and she was in shorts and a tank.

She looked really sexy.

'You should really stay in bed and rest, you know,' she said, turning around to dump some clothes in the hamper. She turned back and looked curiously at me when I didn't respond. 'Percy, are you okay?'

For the third time tonight I wished she wasn't so worried.

'I'm fine! I just, have a, um, surprise for you,' I told her, the box in my hands behind me.

She smiled and leaned closer to me. 'What kind of surprise?' She looked right up into my eyes. Funny thing, after so many years, I've grown to tower her by quite a few inches. When we're standing together she has go tip toe to kiss me. I guess you could say she looks up to me now. (Get it?)

'Tada,' I handed the box over. Okay, in retrospect, I should have thought more carefully about this surprise.

She looked amused when she took it into her hands and put it on the edge of the bed. She opened it carefully, eyeing me from the side. As she went through the contents, it was obvious she was getting confused, and I sneakily wrapped my arms around her. 'Do you like your surprise?' I murmured into her hair.

'Percy,' she said, a little breathless. 'What is all this?'

'It's a road trip I planned out for us to get back to Camp.' I admitted, releasing her slightly so I could look at her. She was looking intensely at the notebook. I started rambling. 'I thought I could bring you to all those places you wanted to go. Like Hoover Dam; that time Thalia, Grover and I already visited but we were without you. I thought you'd like to travel a little, you know, without having a deadline of a quest above our heads? I know the driving part sounds boring but don't worry I'll do the driving, you can just relax and enjoy the ride. It'll just be the two of us taking a road trip and we'll get to spend a lot of time together and-'

I was still debating with myself whether that last statement made me sound a little too clingy before I realized Annabeth cut me off by kissing me. She literally threw herself into my embrace and she pulled me closer when she wrapped her arms around my neck.

There was no greater feeling than this: her hands running through my hair, her lips on mine, her body pressed against me. I could feel her grinning, her excitement bubbling. I felt giddy just knowing how happy and elated she was with her surprise.

It was more than worth it.

Ω

We ended up on the bed somehow. Tangled up with the sheets, she tried to kiss me as many times as I did to her. I whispered things like _I love you_ s into her ear, making her blush lightly. She spent a long time telling me how great this road trip would be, the places she could visit, and the pictures she could take. She said it was one of the best surprise she ever got. Then she turned around and looked at me seriously.

'Let's not leave tomorrow, okay? Give yourself another day to rest and heal first.' I didn't want to protest because 1) it was useless to protest, and 2) I didn't want her to be upset, because this was supposed to make her happy. So, I nodded and kissed her forehead.

She turned towards her nightstand and took out something from the drawer.

'This was one of the best surprises too,' she said quietly, bringing the object closer for me to see.

It was our engagement ring.

She put it on and snuggled into my chest, where I wrapped my arms around her. 'I don't care if my parents don't agree. I've already said yes and I'm not going to change my mind.' She mumbled. I laughed lightly in spite of myself, and she looked up to playfully glare at me. She leaned up to kiss the tip of my nose.

If you're wondering about the ring, yes, we're engaged. The thing is, I did a lot of thinking after we came back from the Second Giant War (don't be so surprised). I did decide on some things I wanted to do with my life. I knew that I wanted to be with Annabeth forever. It's not like we've never talked about it before. But marriage was a touchy subject since we're still young, but for us, living day by day is good enough, yet we still don't have enough time. I wanted to spend whatever time I had with her.

One summer night we were on my bed in the Poseidon cabin, just talking before we settle for the night. And I asked Annabeth to marry me. I think the question shocked me more than it did to her, because I hadn't planned to ask her. Yet. In my impulsiveness, I didn't notice she was more than happy, then she told me 'yes'. I had picked her up and spun her around and kissed her, all the while drowning in her laughter. Of course, I did get the ring for her, but I prepared a different occasion to propose the old fashion way: a romantic dinner by the beach. Amid all that happiness, we thought it was best not to tell anyone yet, just because we weren't ready to get in the middle of problems that may arise. (achem, like Athena turning me into a puddle of goo for marrying her daughter) So that was that; we kept the ring away when we went out or when anyone was around. But right now, still no promises as to when we'll stop making it a secret.

For now, it was sufficient.

Ω

Annabeth left me hugging the air the next morning.

I woke to the smell of pancakes and muffled sounds of plates and pans. And arms wrapped around nothing in the empty space beside me. This happens more than I'd like to admit. But usually, I would be aware of her getting up earlier and trying not to wake me up as she sneaked out of my hug.

I turned my body to face the ceiling. I couldn't feel much pain for last night's wound anymore. It was just a little numb, but nothing much. Counting to three, I got out of bed and went to wash up.

I started my Annabeth-hunting. It wasn't hard, because I followed the smell of pancakes to the kitchen. I peeked in at the kitchen door and took in what I saw.

Her hair was down in their soft princess curls, her hair tie so low it was going to fall off. Her red apron was messily tied at her waist, hugging her body nicely. She was humming softly as she flipped the pancake carefully, smiling when she managed to catch it perfectly, and dropping it off on the plate on the counter.

I liked what I saw.

I snuck up behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist. I already missed doing that despite spending the whole night in that position.

She gasped softly then smacked me lightly on the arm. 'Good morning, sleepy head.'

'Morning, love.' I proceeded to remove the soon-to-fall hair tie and helped her retie her hair. But I think I made it messier. She just laughed, went to wash her hands and did it herself. Then she gave me a good, long kiss. 'How's your back?' She asked softly.

'It's fine,' I mumbled and muzzled into her neck. 'I'll put more medicine later, okay?'

'I'm hungry,' I said. She rolled her eyes at me. 'As always. Go and get your plate.'

We had breakfast like any other morning since we started living here. It's like we have gotten used to this normal, boring routine. But I liked it. The normalcy and the companionship (I mean, Annabeth _is_ my companion) was extremely comforting. I know I sound like an old person but whatever.

We spent the rest of the day trying to pack for our little trip. I had brought out our duffel bags and we stuffed everything we needed in there. Honestly, we knew this trip would take a few weeks really, since we were stopping everywhere, so we had to bring quite a lot. Annabeth made a list.

'Are you sure that's enough underwear?'

'Bring more socks. You know how your feet get cold easily.' 'So do yours!'

'That's why I brought a lot of socks!'

By the end of the day, our bags were filled through the hours we put through sorting out what to bring and what not to bring. We cooked for lunch, but by the time we got to dinner we were too lazy so we called for pizza from our favourite place down the street.

I couldn't wait for tomorrow to come.

Finally, we can have an adventure that doesn't involve a deadline hanging over our heads and immortal threats cussing down at us. This was going to be great.

(And I really hope I don't jinx that).


End file.
